Imagine if all the images obtained in ophthalmology clinics were somehow uploaded easily to this decentralized blockchain system, and patients—not hospitals—owned their data. The data then could truly cross systems and borders without fear of loss of privacy, breaking down our current data silos.

In this new system, patients could give permission for any organizations to train or validate off their de-identified data and not worry about whether than can trust the owner (like a Google), Dr. Chang explained.

“There could also be a new data marketplace where secure computing allows data seekers to contract with data providers via a blockchain public ledger,” he said. “This is executed via a process called “smart contracts,” whereby multiple companies training AI algorithms could access data privately, not needing public domain datasets or data silos.”

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Robert T. Chang, MD
e: [email protected]
Dr. Chang has previously received AI research funding from Santen and was the recipient of a Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health grant but has no AI financial disclosures.